Sugar Skull Painted Pumpkins for Halloween

We are headed to the pumpkin patch today and are debating how to decorate our pumpkins this year… what do you all have planned?

Every year we choose a theme for our pumpkin decor, and often times lean more towards painting than carving, not only because it is fun, but because there is far less mess and they last a heck of a lot longer without being sliced into.

As I scoured old photos for pumpkin inspiration, I happened to come across these photos, of the year that we painted a sugar skull pumpkin family… one of my favorites! The sugar skull design was tied in as my husband and daughter are Mexican, and this design is associated with the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos which is in close proximity to Halloween. We created our own little twist on the design, combining them into our American celebration of Halloween!

To create these pumpkins on our own, we did it in a few easy steps.

First, we selected pumpkins somewhat to scale to represent our family… dad being the largest pumpkin, and the smallest was to represent our Pomperaniam, haha!

Next, we sketched on the pumpkins using black pen – you want to use black pen or permanent marker and give it some time to try before messing with it so that it does not smudge.

Once it is time to paint, start by filling in all your white space first, then allow to dry. The reason you start with white is because you can always add paint to go darker, but it is harder to take away from an already dark pallet!

Last, add your colored details, then trace the outline you drew with black paint. Voila! You have your perfect family of Sugar Skull Pumpkins.

If you need some supplies for pumpkin painting, here are my suggestions! (Affiliate)

*Disclaimer* I am an Amazon affiliate and get a tiny kickback if you purchase anything from my links… I only share things that I use and love, and it is just a small avenue for me to earn money to support my blog as I go.